TEXAS TOWNSHIP, MI -- The Texas Township Board of Trustees took a step toward establishing a new special assessment district for residents of Crooked Lake for aeration after a lengthy, standing room only public hearing at its Monday meeting.

The lake currently has an annual assessment of $251 per parcel to pay for a lake pump that regulates water levels. Many property owners who spoke Monday objected to the proposal to expand the current assessment’s scope and increase it to $500-550 per parcel based on the perpetual nature of the current assessment, the state statute allowing special assessments to increase by up to 10 percent every year, the inclusive language of the proposal and some of the actions it would allow, the lack of a specific plan and discrepancies between the petition many signed and the language of the public hearing notice.

Trustee Trish Roberts made a motion to create a new special assessment district for the lake, to run seven years and include the original language of the petition for the assessment’s scope, directing the lake special assessment district board to submit updated plans and cost estimates to the township within three weeks. Trustee Wendy Mazer seconded the motion and it passed 4-3, with Roberts, Mazer and trustees Joyce Neubauer and Jeff VanderRoest supporting and Treasurer Paul Cutting, Supervisor Greg Pendowski and Clerk Linda Kerr opposing.

The township will hold another hearing on the special assessment roll, with all affected property owners to be given notice first.

“We’ve sat here tonight for two hours and listened to everybody,” Cutting said. “I don’t have a horse in this race; I don’t live on the lake. At this point, I don’t know if there is a majority. …. I’m not comfortable advancing this until I know what the numbers are like now.”

Almost 30 people spoke during the public hearing, including lake residents and lake board members as well as the author of a study commissioned by the lake board and the owner of an aeration company.

Many people who spoke were under the impression from the petition that the proposed assessment would be for two years, but adding it to the current assessment made it in perpetuity. Several said it should be a separate assessment with a set time span, and some proposed charging more to those who live on more mucky parts of the lake.

John Tucci, owner of Lake Savers, LLC, said for the proposed aeration and enzyme approach, his company generally signs a five- to seven-year contract that includes an option for the lake board to opt out after 30 months if it is not working based on residents’ input and a third-party evaluation.

Many speakers were also surprised and angry about the 10 percent state statute. Township Attorney Roxanne Seeber explained the board has no control over that, and lake board members said they have never taken advantage of that clause and have no plans to do so in the future.

Several speakers were also concerned about options for lake maintenance listed in the notice that were not part of the petition, specifically dredging and herbicides. The township board had added some options that were listed in the report to make the lake board more flexible, but lake board members said they had no intention of ever dredging.

Several speakers asked that their signature be removed from the petition. Seeber explained there is no legal mechanism to do so because the petition simply caused the public hearing.

“You can register the fact that you now oppose, but it’s up to the board to decide whether to move ahead,” Seeber said. “There is a reason to [process those changes] to gauge support, but at the end of the day it’s the board’s decision.”

A few speakers said they had sandy beaches and clear water and did not want to pay for something that would not help them. Others said it is all one lake, the weed problem is getting worse, and everyone will benefit from better lake maintenance. Many expressed support for the proposed aeration system the lake board said it wants to install with the assessment.

Dot DeYoung, who served on the lake board for several years and was involved in the petition process, said the proposed system has naturally occurring enzymes in addition to oxygen.

“We had a lovely, clear lakefront when we moved here 12 years ago, and every year, the weeds have gotten worse,” DeYoung said. “We really wanted to do something that would benefit the lake. We saw increasing problems, we saw increasing muck, we saw increasing weeds.”

Crooked Lake Association President Jim Roberts said the lake board has absolutely no intention of dredging or taking advantage of the 10 percent clause, but needs to be proactive.

“We’re fortunate that we have the lake pump,” Roberts said. “I’ve lived on the lake for 56 years, my grandparents owned the property there where I grew up, and I have watched the weeds encroach across the lake. We have a lot of invasive species that aren’t just going to go away. They are going to take over. ...We need to be proactive.”